Before you buy an e-book reader

When shopping for an e-book reader, buying guides encourage consumers to first consider how they will be using their e-reader. What types of books will you read? Do you also want to download magazines, newspapers and RSS feeds, or browse the web? Considering your needs and how you'll use your e-book reader can help you identify which e-reader will be best for you. Here are the top features to consider:

  • Size: E-readers vary in size from only slightly larger than a thin paperback to 8.5-by-11-inch tablets. Smaller devices are more portable, but also have smaller screens.
  • Display technology: E Ink Corp. is the leading manufacturer of e-reader displays, and its electronic paper is designed to look like text on real paper. Good contrast and crisp text make for easier reading. Sixteen-level grayscale delivers more tones for sharp, clear text, graphics and photos, while four-level grayscale will be comparatively dull and struggle to render detailed images clearly. Unlike a computer screen, E Ink screens aren't backlit, so you'll need a book light to read in a dark room. Some highly rated e-readers, like the Barnes & Noble Nook Color and the Apple iPad 2, use a backlit LCD screen. Many reviewers say E Ink screens cause less eyestrain than a backlit screen, but some ophthalmologists say there's no difference.
  • Navigation and user interface: Consider the positioning of buttons and other navigation controls. Left-handed users may struggle with landscape mode on models where control buttons are on the right. Toggle and joystick controls are easy to use, but typically take more time than interacting directly with the device via a touchscreen.
  • E-book access and file compatibility: Amazon.com and Barnes & Noble have the largest e-bookstores; Amazon boasts 800,000 free and for-purchase books, periodicals and other files, with two million for Barnes & Noble. Sony has its own e-bookstore, and its e-readers are compatible with thousands of free public-domain books from Google. Mobipocket, now owned by Amazon.com but still compatible with other manufacturers' e-readers, lists more than 120,000 titles on its website. Additional e-book retailers offer books in Mobipocket, text, PDF, Microsoft Word or other file formats.
  • Wireless connectivity: Experts say the easiest e-readers to use are those with wireless connectivity because e-books can be purchased and downloaded on demand. Many major e-book readers come with Wi-Fi installed, but the Kindle also offers free 3G connectivity in its step-up versions. Readers without wireless capabilities require a USB connection to a computer to download e-books. Most major e-readers are compatible with both Macs and PCs, but check before you buy.
  • Memory: Memory on e-book readers varies, but they usually have space for at least 1,000 e-books. Some have expansion slots that allow users to save titles to memory cards, helping to free up space on the device itself.
  • Battery life: Most e-readers will last two weeks to a month between charges with wireless turned off, or a few days to a week with wireless on. A few -- those that rely on the battery to power lights, interactive touchscreens and other features -- need to be charged more often, as frequently as every day.
  • Multimedia and other features: Some e-readers have basic music players, annotation programs, document sharing, text-to-voice capability, handwriting recognition, web browsing and games. These features used to cost extra, but now you can find them even on most basic e-book readers.
  • Tablet computers: People who read a lot of e-books would probably be happiest with a dedicated e-book reader, experts say. However, for those who want a more versatile device, reviewers say the Apple iPad 2 has an e-book app and can do much more than an e-reader alone.

History of the e-book

The concept of e-book readers was born in 1971 when Project Gutenberg, a volunteer organization dedicated to digitizing books and other publications, was created. The founder, Michael Hart, started the project by digitizing first the Declaration of Independence (hand-typing the text), followed by the Bill of Rights, the Constitution and the King James Bible. In 1998, the first two e-book readers were introduced: the Rocket eBook (NuvoMedia, Inc.) and Softbook (SoftBook Press, Inc.); both models have since been discontinued and have not been replaced. The e-book market remained relatively quiet until Sony introduced its first e-book reader in 2006, which was followed by the Amazon Kindle in 2007.

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